


Of a Feather

by d_aia



Series: Birds [3]
Category: Batman - All Media Types, DCU, Red Hood and the Outlaws (Comics), Red Hood: Lost Days, Under the Red Hood
Genre: Additional Warnings In Author's Note, Gen, Original Character(s), POV Outsider
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-22
Updated: 2018-03-22
Packaged: 2019-04-06 16:53:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,566
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14061288
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/d_aia/pseuds/d_aia
Summary: Erika takes a deep breath and brings the phone to her ear. “Can we talk? In person.”“I’ll find you.”*Consequences and plans.





	Of a Feather

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own the universe (and characters, locations, personal histories etc as are shown in them). This is the work of fanfiction.
> 
> Warnings: Kidnapping; Drug Dealing; Arms Dealing. 
> 
> Thanks & Acknowledgements: To Lex, for being a wonderful person--thank you!
> 
> A/N: The story takes place in a murky future, where Jason still has his fingers in the drug pie, has a set territory in Gotham (more like, a couple of streets), and goes on missions with Artemis and Bizzaro. He also outright states that he has been in Arkham and Blackgate. But none of this is known to the POV character. She'll find out some, but not nearly everything there is to know. Oh, and the stories should be read in order. If you're okay with that, then enjoy! :D

Erika takes a deep breath and brings the phone to her ear. “Can we talk? In person.”

“I’ll find you.”

*

They are walking along some dark alley—there are countless in Gotham—when Jason, in his Red Hood costume, catches up to them.

“Erika.” Jason turns slightly to watch both her, and Kev and Sanders. “Are you okay?”

“I’ll be fine,” Erika dismisses. “I know it’s a lot to ask, but could you possibly offer Kev”—she gestures to him—“and Sanders a position in your organization? They might need help staying alive in the next—I don’t know—a month? I’m vouching for them.”

Both Kev and Sanders open their mouths, but Erika’s glare is enough to make them shut up.

“I’m going to need _so_ much more than that,” Jason says. “You can start with the reason for you being bruised and bleeding. And continue with the answer to the question: why are they treating you like you’re their mom?”

Erika takes a deep breath. And then another. One just doesn’t cut it.

“Tonight I was the unwilling guest of someone who wanted to use me as bait or blackmail or ransom for the Waynes,” Erika begins. “It’s unclear as I couldn’t hear him very well with my ears ringing from the flash grenade they used. Luckily, they caught me on my way home or they’d have more people to leverage.”

Jason listens, unmoved with the exception of his clenched fists.

“After roughing me up, I was deposited in a dark room, where Kev and Sanders recognized me and got me out,” Erika continues. “I know them. They are my people. And now I worry about their continued existence and ability to survive without a source of income.”

“Okay, let’s get you—”

But Erika interrupts Jason, raising her hand. “I need to know they’ll be fine.” She puts her hand down in case it starts trembling.

“The drug business is drying up, but I’m thinking about branching into the arms dealing side of things and if that’s something they’d be intere—”

“Yup,” Kev says.

At the same time, Sanders responds, “We’re in.”

Jason nods. “So, let me call my lieutenants and arrange some—”

“Thank you,” Kev and Sanders chorus.

“That’s nice,” Jason says dryly. “Now can I complete a sentence?”

“Sure,” Kev says sunnily. He’s a cheeky asshole and Erika would not change him for the world. Sanders chuckles in the background, forever entertained by Kev. 

And suddenly, Erika is free to take a breath.

*

“Let’s go,” Jason says.

Remembering what happened last time, Erika asks, “Go where?”

“My safe house.”

“Why?”

“Because if we go to the Mansion the bad guys will know that kidnapping you is a good idea and the birds will know that I’m planning on being generous with the violence tonight.”

Erika takes a step back. “Are you going alone?”

“Yes.”

“No.”

Jason makes a funny noise while gesturing futilely. “You’re treating me like a child and the only answers I have available for that are in the exact same age range so you better reconsider before I start stomping my foot and blowing raspberries.”

“But I don’t wanna,” Erika mock-whines. She takes a breath and says somberly, “Look, I can’t take it tonight. I am supposed to be self-sufficient and already two people tonight are in trouble because of me. I can’t handle that. I absolutely cannot. You _heading_ into danger, that’s more than I can accept.”

Jason nods. “Okay.” He sighs. “Chose O or R.”

“What are you—”

“I’m getting help: choose O or R.”

“R.”

Jason whines. “You look like an ‘O,’ type of person.”

“R.”

Jason blows a raspberry in her direction, which sounds _interesting_ with the sound modulation in his helmet.  “Robins, it is.” He crosses his hands and taps his foot.

“There, there,” Erika says.

*

“Are you done?”

“Yes,” Jason answers once he finishes climbing through the window.

“Any of you hurt?”

“Some scrapes, nothing serious.”

“Thank you,” Erika offers sincerely.

“The others were worried.”

“They shouldn’t be.”

Jason snorts. “Yeah, they should. The man was a small-time drug dealer. His business went under and thought he’d try his hand at kidnapping.”

“We sort of knew this was coming, though.”

“I wasn’t expecting a parade but this is…” Jason sighs. “Here’s your prize: more work! Congrats.” 

“It’ll probably settle. Eventually.” Erika lifts one shoulder. “Rome wasn’t built in a day and although it burned fast because that’s destruction—or malice—for you, what few talk about is the rebuild. It used to be a great city and it was again.” She snaps her fingers. “Just like that.” Erika lowers her hand. “Maybe that’s all people will remember about Gotham too.”

“That it was awful or awfully great?”

“It remains to be seen.”

“Cheerful,” Jason comments dryly. “Oh, hey, I got you something.”

And just like that a bag of something brightly colored lands on her face.

“Asshole,” Erika says pleasantly. She lifts the offending object and sees it’s filled with gummy worms. “Thanks.” She pauses. “Asshole. Thanks, asshole.” Satisfied with her choice of words, she nods. “Want some?”

“Sure,” Jason says, moving deeper into the apartment. “In a bit.”

*

“Did you call somebody?” Jason asks, appearing out of nowhere. _And_ he steals two of her gummy worms. The fact that she offered is hidden by her surprise.

Erika frowns at the bag. “Yes. I got them all places to go.”

“Did you tell them you were okay?” Jason asks wryly, but there’s an odd heaviness in his voice.

“I did that before we met you, but after we talked. Then, when I spoke with Kev and Sanders, I let them know too. They’re fine, by the way. And I told everybody I was safe when I called to let them know where to go,” Erika says. “Why?”

Jason deflects. “You’re a communicative bunch.”

“We’re adaptable.”

Jason opens his mouth and then closes it without saying anything. “What are you going to do?” he asks finally.

“Sell my apartment, buy another one, lay low for about half a year, maybe a year, and then, as much as possible, pick up where I left off.” Erika lifts a shoulder and places the bag on the couch between them. “Help yourself.”

“Thanks,” Jason says thoughtfully. “Don’t you worry about your kids? You didn’t mention quitting and I _know_ you won’t put them in danger, so that’s six months to a year right there.”

“They aren’t my kids.”

Jason’s head snaps towards her. “They’re your people.”

“Yeah, but that doesn’t mean that they’re my kids,” Erika says.

She can see that Jason doesn’t get it.

“To be a parent is more than I can handle,” Erika begins. “I’m like a cousin that gives them a helping hand and is there for them when they _tell_ me they need me. A parent is more than that. It’s nights without sleep, crying by the kid’s door because you know they’re in pain. It’s constant worrying. It’s assuming responsibility. It’s dedication, and I… can’t be that for them. I don’t have what it takes.”

Jason watches her attentively and Erika takes a deep breath.

“But that doesn’t mean I can’t help,” Erika continues. “I do what I can, they do what they can, and our family has no expiration date. It’s not a white picket fence, two kids, and a dog, but then again, I don’t want to lose my mind if the guy who lives next door mows his lawn diagonally and screws with the aesthetic of the neighborhood.” She smiles slightly and finishes, “Personal choice.”

“It works?”

“You saw it tonight.”

Jason nods and they lapse into silence.

*

After about another fifteen minutes of watching Charlie up to his usual shenanigans, the movie ends.

Looking to fill the silence, Erika asks, “What are you going to do?”

“Find another Chaplin movie,” Jason answers with a frown.

“That’s good,” says Erika. “But I was wondering if you still want to go to Princeton.”

 Jason freezes. “I feel stalked.”

It’s Erika’s turn to frown. “Didn’t Bruce tell you?”

“Ha!”

“All right…” Erika trails off, narrowing her eyes. No other comment seems forthcoming from Jason, so she files it away and continues, “I ended up at Wayne Enterprises because I wanted to defend you against the paparazzi. Missed my moment, I know, but I had a strategy in place and the Princeton thing was part of it.”

“This I’ve got to hear.”

“Which part?”

“All of it.”

“That’s fine, but you have to give me a minute here.” Erika pauses, thinking it over. “The way they treated you bothered me on a personal level. It was insulting. And, at the time, I was irritated that I couldn’t just… snap my fingers and make my people better,” she explains haltingly. “But I could do this.”

Jason listens, his face not showing much.

“Princeton was something to get people to make the connection with academia when they were talking about you,” Erika says. “I had found out you were quite the student, you see, and that’s something that both Bruce and Dick didn’t pay that much attention to. You were hungry for education and getting people to start speculating which college you’d end up in would be enough to turn the tide.”

“And would put me in the spotlight.”

“You’d have a great excuse to miss all the galas and inauguration dinners.” Erika lifted a shoulder. “You were in the spotlight no matter how you slice it and, like this, it would be reduced in time. After all, you were focused on your studies.”

Jason blinks. “That’s…”

 “Cold?”

“Detailed.”

“It has to be,” Erika says, surprised. “Let me see if I can find something.” She turns on the TV and searches for a minute until she comes across a press conference—a Lex Luthor press conference. “Watch.”

On the screen, Luthor, dripping with charm, is an angel. He is innocent of all crimes. Nothing that is brought against him can be used in a court of law and everything the journalists, mainly the ambitious and dogged Lane, is deftly brushed aside, leaving him pristine. The smirk at the end is just the cherry on the cake.

“That’s ten minutes of my borrowed life I’m never going to get back,” Jason says dryly.  “What was I supposed to see?”

“A master at work.”

“Please.” Jason snorts. “He’s as dirty as can be and the press conference didn’t convince me any different.”

“It wasn’t meant to,” Erika says wryly.

“If I ever wondered whether he was sane or not, you just answered that.”

“He was doing it to piss off Superman.” Erika thinks better of it. “And Lane. Her partner, too, but I don’t…” She tilts her head and frowns. “It can’t be.”

Jason smirks.

“Clark Kent?!”

Jason’s smirk gets wider.

“I never wanted to know these people!” Erika clenches her teeth, frustrated, as she rubs her temple. “All right.” She takes a deep breath. “So, Luthor knows what he comes across as, but that doesn’t bother him. He has defense contracts up to the fucking ears, he’s set. There are a few exceptions, mostly of a personal nature, but generally, if the government says he’s doing fine, everyone who’s anyone is going to follow.”

“So you go after his people in the government.”

“Yeah, how’s that going?”

Jason opens his mouth then closes it with a frown. “It’s not going at all. I hear all the time about Lane bringing up to light some scandal and a senator or another going down for it, but none of them have a connection to Luthor. He protects them too well.”

“Luthor isn’t the problem.” Erika sighs. “He has a fear: of aliens, which is not exactly unfounded. And the fact that he has to rely on the Justice League to see if they deem it necessary for him to have access to information doesn’t help. It certainly doesn’t when they are the first and only line of defense.”

“He pissed Superman off before that.”

“And who’s Superman?”

“Santa Claus,” Jason grumbles.

“Luthor is a genius, he sees things differently than you and me, and still, he’s as liable to paranoia as any one of us,” Erika says. “And there are all sorts of things that can be said about him, including his odd capacity to turn the most reasonable plans warped beyond recognition. By all means, he should be handled with care, but that’s not the point.”

“And the point is that…”

“He doesn’t care.” Erika shrugs a shoulder. “If it accomplishes his goal, he’s as likely to gut you as he is to have a high-tech armor built for you.”

“You should throw him a parade then.”

“If I were to count the number of good people I know on my fingers, I’d still be able to have enough of them left to strangle someone.”

“That’s fair,” Jason says. “You were saying that Luthor doesn’t care.”

“Yeah, and the Government is the one that does.” Erika snorts bitterly. “Until they stop prompting and paying Luthor to do the things he does, he has no reason to stop.”

“Except Superman.”

“Whom Luthor loves pissing off.”

“But can’t get rid of.”

Erika snorts. “Come on.” She suppresses an eye roll. “All right, how would you handle it? A reporter who keeps trespassing and the alien superhero who always looks out for her.”

 Jason narrows his eyes suspiciously. “No,” he denies.

“Yes.”

“It’s too damn easy,” Jason complains. “I mean, Lois gets wrong info and suddenly they could be interfering with flu shots, causing delays to army equipment, making a mess of kids’ anything... But it can’t be that easy. They aren’t stupid.”

“Luthor hires loyal people,” Erika says. “I’ll bet you this bag that Lane doesn’t have more than two sources for any of her articles. It’s why she investigates herself. And they’re strangers. They must be. He pays his people well, that’s why there are so few, and doesn’t rotate so she can’t form a working relationship to any of them.” She gestures with a worm. “The people who know everything—Mercy, for example—would _never_ betray him.”

“Okay,” Jason says, thoughtfully. “I see why you’d believe he does the angel act on purpose and it makes the whole thing terrifying because Oracle says you were going to work for him. That’s just—no. But, yeah, okay, I feel less stalked.” He narrows his eyes. “More alarmed, though.”

“I’m on your side.”

“I know it’s supposed to be comforting, but it’s really not.”

Erika suppressed a smile. “I’ll never do something I _know_ you hate and I will always try my best to keep you updated on what I’m saying about you.”

“Now, _that’s_ comforting!”

“I promise.”

“That’s even better,” Jason says. He stops for a bit, then shrugs and says, “I’m not going to do the college thing anymore.”

Erika watches him in silence, waiting to see if he’s going to give more details.

“Dick barely managed it and I’m not Tim.” Jason laughs bitterly. “I like to sleep.”

“And Bruce wasn’t otherwise occupied, I know, but—”

“B was what?”

Erika frowns. “What’s the problem?”

“B went to college?” Jason sounds confused and this, in turn, disorients Erika.

“Yes.”

How can Jason not know?

“I thought he went straight to Ra’s after high school.”

Erika shakes her head. “Yale Law.” She snorts. “Believe me, my alumni advisor was over the moon when she found out I work for him.”

“You went to Yale?”

“Penn U.”

“Ivy Leagues.” Jason rolls his eyes. “But, hold on, that meant that Dick…”

“Was a legacy, yes.” Erika lifts a shoulder. “I’m sure that if he didn’t show comprehension of the material or couldn’t keep his grades at an acceptable average, he would have been kicked out, but, as far as deadlines and such were concerned, I wouldn’t be surprised if exceptions were made.” 

“I wonder if Dick knows,” Jason says. “I doubt that he does.”

Why wouldn’t Dick know? But then why wouldn’t Jason? It sounds like there are crocs in these waters.

“I really don’t know, but ‘Creative Writing’ is a different major,” Erika says, changing the subject. “It might be a good idea to study something you want to do if you ever retire.”

“Retire?” Jason’s amusement is served with a huge side of bitterness. “I’m lucky I made it this far.”

“What if your luck holds?” Erika asks.

Jason seems prepared to give a scathing retort, but he ends up blurting, “I wanted to a become doctor, too.”

“Well…” Erika blinks, surprised. “That’s more complicated.”

First, it’s pre-med, then med school, then being a resident, and then a doctor.  It takes a lot of time, dedication, and focus. None of which Jason can afford because his plate is already pretty full. Things might clear for him, but it’s still not something Jason can half-ass. Erika is willing to bet that he knows that and already accepted it.   

Leaning his head back on the couch, Jason says, “I don’t do simple.”

“All right, that’s fine, we can work with that,” Erika replies, her mind whirring away at the problem. “How do you feel about nursing school? Or maybe EMTs? You can study to become a paramedic eventually if you choose that. It’s emergency medicine, though, and I don’t know if that’s what you want to do. But nursing isn’t.”

 Jason seems dumbfounded. “What about Princeton?”

“You can do both,” Erika says. “It would be a great idea to disappear for a while from Gotham until this drug thing settles down, and that way you’ll have something to do.”

“Keep my appearances short and sweet.” Jason nods, tentative as if afraid. “It doesn’t take that long to become an EMT, right? And if I’m any good at it, I could continue.” He looks… shy. “Emergency medicine sounds great,” Jason admits.

“I’ll have to check, but I promise I’ll find out everything about it.” Erika takes another gummy worm. “I’ll look into SATs too. Take those, ace them, and I’ll be sure to make you appealing to any college.”

“I don’t actually have amnesia so I remember all the books I’ve read and some bits of theory. That will be good for SATs and for Princeton,” Jason says, becoming more excited. His eyes flicker to the guns. “Chemistry, biology, languages, physics, and math I picked up on the way. Not for any recommended purpose so I guess it wouldn’t hurt to review.” He laughs slightly. “Actually, I think I had already started my essay for college.”

“And speaking of doing things that can have dual goals, once you are an EMT, if you manage to swing not taking too many shifts—maybe doing it as a volunteer—it will help you keep an ear to the ground in Gotham _and_ fulfill your quota for community work that is expected for every serious college student,” Erika offers.  

Jason is… glowing. “I can actually do this.”

“It will be hard,” Erika warns.

“But I can go to college!” Jason smiles widely.

And Erika can’t help but answer with a slight smile of her own. He really loves to learn and she’ll do anything she can to make it happen. “You can.”

Jason beams.

*

“Ms. Aiza, are you available for tea tomorrow?” Alfred asks.

Erika’s mind comes to a halt. Can she say no? Is that something she can do?

“Yes,” Erika answers.

Coward.

“Is there anywhere you might be comfortable talking privately?” Alfred seems to hesitate. “A different place than the mansion, you understand.”

Does she understand? No, she doesn’t. She never got Alfred.

“My apartment,” Erika replies. “Would you like the address?”

*

After Alfred arrives, tea is offered and awkwardness is felt—by Erika, at least—Alfred gets to the point.

“You’ll have to forgive me if I speak bluntly,” Alfred begins and alarms begin to sound in Erika’s head. “What are your intentions towards Master Jason?”

Erika blinks. She doesn’t even know how one answers a question like that. Do they say ‘I come in peace and only want to help,’ start detailing the plans she had laid out for his choosing or what? “Pardon?”

“Ms. Aiza, do you have designs on Master Jason?”

“I still don’t und—” And Erika suddenly gets it. She is so lost in getting the information she promised Jason that she missed the obvious. “No,” she answers vehemently.

Erika can feel herself lean slightly back, but she can’t—quite—stop herself. She has never known how to deal with Alfred. He’s a man that demands respect through his manner and behavior, who is very much a father to Bruce and a grandfather to his kids, but still someone who calls himself a butler. Erika is officially out of her comfort zone and she can’t even explain why.

“On Master Bruce then?”

“No.”

“On Master Richard?”

Erika is asexual and aromantic, but she’ll be damned if she uses that as a blanket excuse. It would be accepted, she knows it would, Alfred is open-minded. However, she believes that some people can help without thinking about payment, sex, or romance. After all, that’s the Wayne family business and that’s how Selina helped her. Since that’s also her way of thinking, her sexuality shouldn’t matter.

“No,” Erika answers shortly.

“On Master Tim?”

“No.”

“On—”

“Please stop,” Erika says. She doesn’t know if he was going to ask about him or about Damian, but, “Don’t even go there. I don’t have intentions on your family.” She stands, goes to the kitchen to grab the fruit, and getting some breathing space in the meantime.

“I make you uncomfortable,” Alfred notes. “I should have realized.”

Erika glances at him questioningly.

“Master Jason didn’t know how to behave around me, either,” Alfred admits with a kind smile. “It got better once he decided to treat me like a grandfather, but it became awkward for Master Bruce and, when he was home, Master Richard. It only got worse with the addition of Masters Timothy and Damian.”

Erika smiles politely. “What happened?”

“Absolutely nothing from Master Jason’s perspective, which I’m guessing you share.” Alfred offers a reassuring smile. “I suppose it’s also why we appear to have come at this subject from opposite sides.”

Erika drops the smile since it does nothing but make her feel like an idiot and waits.

“I’m afraid that even with the good examples I’ve been offered, I am still somewhat reluctant to trust that someone would help without asking for anything in return and so I find myself being protective of my Mas—” Alfred interrupts himself with an indulgent expression and continues after a short pause. “Of the Waynes.”

“I _am_ getting paid for the job I do, Alfred,” Erika reminds him.

“It’s not your responsibility to be the go-between Wayne Enterprises, Batman, Gotham, and various intelligence agencies.”

Erika lightly shakes her head. “That just happened.”

“It’s also not your responsibility to encourage Master Jason to continue his education.”

“Is that what this is about?” Erika asks, taken aback. “I’d like to think we’ve become friends, and friends do this sort of thing for each other.”

“You have and they do,” Alfred says, seemingly honest. “But good friends don’t come around often.”

Erika sighs but understands nonetheless. It’s not even something that’s unique to Gotham. She can too easily imagine someone getting under Jason’s skin by offering him a solution that he loves or in Bruce’s—and Dick’s—good graces by making Jason happy.  

“I get it,” Erika says quietly. “I’m sorry for not understanding from the beginning.”

“No,” Alfred says. “I am sorry.” He watches her and smiles kindly. “I am also very happy that we have found you, and I hope you won’t hold my behavior against them.”

“Of course not,” Erika dismisses. He didn’t attack and he didn’t presume, he just asked. “It’s a proof of your love.” She smiles slightly. “How did you find out? About Jason going to college.”

“One moment, please,” Alfred says, while he takes a tablet from his briefcase. “In case my fears were unfounded, I wanted to show you how much joy you brought us. This video is shown with the approval of everyone involved.” He presses play.

In the footage, everybody is gathered for breakfast. Tim is a zombie drinking his coffee with halting movements, Damian tries to pretend he’s not tired, Dick barely misses his bowl of cereal when his head falls, Bruce is suspiciously silent behind the paper, and Alfred looks at everyone benevolently. Erika has time to be surprised that there are cameras in the Wayne kitchen when Jason enters the frame.

_“’Morning,”_ Jason greets cheerfully.

Immediately, Damian narrows his eyes suspiciously, Dick tenses and lifts his head, and Bruce lowers a corner of his newspaper. Tim drains a second cup of coffee, ignoring everyone, and Alfred continues to observe, but the atmosphere has definitely changed. Jason drops in a chair and helps himself to a piece of toast.

_“Little Wing,”_ Dick says with a grin flickering on his face.

_“Todd,”_ Damian drawls.

At the same time and in an eerily similar manner, Bruce says, _“Jason.”_

_“Hi,”_ Tim offers, knowing he has missed something.

_“So I was wondering where my things ended up,”_ Jason says while pouring syrup on a pancake.

Bruce has some sort of conversation with Alfred, which Bruce loses. Badly. _“They are in your room. We haven’t”_ —a short, almost imperceptible pause— _“changed anything since you left.”_

_“Oh.”_ Jason shifts in place. _“Okay.”_

Then Jason stands up and prepares to leave to the amazement of all when Damian snaps.

_“Todd!”_ Damian shouts warningly. _“Why did you want to know?”_

_“I need something,”_ Jason says without stopping.

_“What?”_ Dick asks.

_“My books,”_ Jason replies and everyone relaxes. _“And my college essay.”_

_“Why would you need your college essay?”_ Tim asks confusedly.

_“For college,”_ Jason answers, voice barely audible due to the distance.

A few seconds to process, then in a feat of acrobatics and speed, everybody besides Alfred has vacated the kitchen faster than Erika can blink.

The video shifts to a bedroom and Erika sees Dick throwing himself at Jason. Unfortunately or fortunately, Dick’s screeching like a banshee so Jason hears him and tries to dodge. But there’s very little about Dick that is not gleeful so he hugs Jason’s hips and doesn’t let go. 

_“I’m so happy, Little Wing!”_ Dick croons.

Tim is grinning broadly, Bruce proudly, Damian slightly, and Alfred looks content.

_“Where do you want to go?”_ Tim asks.

_“I have to take my SATs first, but I’d like to go to Princeton,”_ Jason admits shyly. He scratches the back of his neck. _“And_ _Erika is looking at what I need in order to take EMT courses. I was thinking about… possibly… becoming a paramedic.”_ He shrugs.

Dick lets go with a shocked face. _“Jaybird…”_

Erika sees everyone turning to Bruce. He’s crying, she realizes. Erika swallows.

_“Jay,”_ Bruce says in a choked voice. He quickly takes three steps forward and envelops Jason in a hug. _“Is that really something you want to do?”_

Jason nods in his father’s shoulder. _“I want to try.”_

Having seen enough, Erika stops the video. “Thank you.” Her smile is small but genuine.

“No, Ms. Aiza,” Alfred says. “Thank you.”

 Erika looks up. “He’ll do it,” she tells Alfred. “I believe that Jason will do it.”

Alfred inclines his head in agreement.  

 

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! If you want to comment (or just talk to me) you can do it here or on my [tumblr](http://e-alexandrescu.tumblr.com/).


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